It's Rookie Roosts Week 2012, and so our Brokerbabble Glossary continues, wherein we take words or phrases that seem to show up in an unreasonable number of listings (and, um, blogs) and decipher their true meanings. If you have any ideas for us, send them to the super-secret tipline. Today's word: WalkScore (see also: walkability)
Ours is one of the more eminently walkable urban areas of the United States (of the world, y'all!). Brokers know this, and they astutely tout so-called "walkability" of their listings as it pertains to things like running errands or taking in shows or ambling down to the local for a pint of bitter. Basically, walkability means that the apartment or house is in walking distance to the T, to one of the Hub's myriad squares with its commercial outlets, to parks, etc. Some listings will even mention a WalkScore, like this one for a 2-BR, 1.5-BA in the North End. It says it has "a 'Walker's Paradise' with a WalkScore of 97 points." Wha? Go to the website WalkScore.com—they have criteria for ranking a property's walkability. A score of 90 to 100, for instance, means "daily errands do not require a car." Suffice to say, a large portion of the Hub scores pretty darn high.
· Rookie Roosts Week 2012 [Curbed Boston]
· Our ongoing Brokerbabble Glossary [Curbed]
· Our complete Curbed University syllabus [Curbed Boston]